Skip to content
Home » Bort Meadow Directions and Practical Items

Bort Meadow Directions and Practical Items

Welcome, Born To Drum Women!

Drum camp is around the corner, and we are SO EXCITED!! AND we are so very happy that ALL of you are coming.  It is a moment we give ourselves to be in the company of beautiful, fun and inspirational women for a couple of days.  It is a time to recharge, relax, and reflect in the beautiful Ohlone hills that are right here in Oakland, Ca.  What a blessing!
As a Day Camp this year, a lot is different.  You’ll be coming in and out every day, and you’ll just bring your drum/s, lunch and snacks, water/water bottle, and whatever else will make you comfortable for the day (a longer list to prompt you is below).  You’ll be able to store your drums overnight if you’re coming multiple days.

Getting to Camp and Parking

Driving or getting a rideshare ride is the only way to get to Bort Meadow. (Please see Driving Directions listed below.)  However, PARKING IS LIMITED!  We will have 55 parking spaces available onsite on a first come, first served basis and between 65 and 80 of you coming to camp each day, depending on the day.  If it is at all possible, please carpool.

Here is a tool that can make self-organizing rides to and from camp a little easier. Please add your name if you are able to offer a ride, or if you are looking for a ride. Find a match with other campers around the same time, and reach out via phone to confirm with your driver!  You can access the Born to Drum Self-Organized Carpool List by clicking here.  A great place to meet up is Redwood Rd and Skyline Blvd, just 4 miles from Bort Meadow.  If you rideshare all the way to camp, it is highly likely that you will be able to get a ride back to a convenient location after camp.

BORT MEADOW HAS A LOCKED GATE.  It will be open and attended from 8AM to 7:15PM every day.

What To Expect At Camp

From 8-10 AM every day, we’ll be checking everyone in at the gate (there will be no registration desk in the camp this year).  Please spread the word – there is no option for walk-ins to camp this year.
Here’s what we’ll need from you at check-in:

Classes

  • Classes will start at 10 sharp, so you should plan to arrive by 9:30 as there will probably be a line checking in at the gate and you’ll need time to park and walk to your first class if you’re driving. 
  • Classes are size-limited so we can social distance.  This is new for us and we are still figuring out how to help people equally distribute around all the classes.  Expect more communication about this before camp.
  • We’ll have half-hour breaks between classes and an hour for lunch starting at 1:30.
  • We’ll have half-hour breaks between classes and an hour for lunch starting at 1:30.
  • Classes will end at 6 and the gate will close at 7:15, so we’ll have some time to hang out with people and shop.
  • Bring your printed tickets – yes, we’ll have tickets this year and they are coming out next week. All you’ll do is show them to the wonderful women at the gate and tell them your name (which will be on your ticket, too). There is no cell service so if you want to show your tickets on your phone, you’ll have to download them before you come!
  • IF you are driving a car, you will put the ticket on your dashboard for the day.
  • You will be directed to the parking lot (to the left at the bottom of the hill), OR to quickly drop off your drum at the Camp Central circle then drive back to the parking lot, where an attendant will direct you how to park. After 10AM the lot will be unattended and very likely full, so don’t be late!
  • If you have mobility limitations, we will have disabled spots in the lot and can arrange to get you back and forth to Camp Central from the Disabled Parking Area in the parking lot. Camp is not very wheelchair friendly and we do not have W/C accessible shuttle If you have accessibility or other concerns please contact us ASAP before camp.

Covid Safety and Class Size

  • For Covid safety, we are limiting all class sizes to 25 people. We are doing this so we can socially distance in the classes.
  • To accommodate everyone's desire to experience each teacher, many teachers are teaching multiple classes every day. That means you can study more intensively with a teacher, but we also need to be mindful to share access with everyone.
  • We are also offering many beginning and intermediate classes. Teachers and students will be very appreciative if we all stick to our level! For the intermediate classes, we will have information at the Welcome tent about what it means to be an intermediate drummer.
  • IF you want to attend a class and it's full, or you are a beginner and you want to sit in on an intermediate class, please sit outside the circle where you can socially distance to watch and listen to the class. If it is appropriate to participate, please do so respectfullly, realizing that the teacher will not be able to personally attend to you.

Covid Safety - Other Considerations

  • TEST BEFORE CAMP - given how easily Covid is spreading, and given that the vaccines, while they significantly reduce the severity of illness, do not protect from infection, it would be most considerate for all of us if we test each morning before coming to camp, but a test is not mandatory to get into camp.
  • WEAR A MASK - to be protected and protect others, it will be best to wear a mask in classes. Despite smaller class size, we are unlikely to stay distant enough to be completely safe from infection.

Community Altar

There will be community altars in the Healing Journey tent.  Bring something meaningful to you: photos, a stone or shell, or any other altar items you would like to share during camp!

First Aid Supplies And Medicines

Please bring all the medicines and healing supplies you will need during camp.  We will have some limited basic supplies.

Cell Phone Reception

There is NO cell access at Bort Meadow.  Please let your friends, family, and emergency contact know this.

What To Bring

  • Prescription Medications
  • Food for lunch, refillable water bottle, plus snacks if you’d like. We will not have dishwashing supplies, so plan to pack out what you bring in without needing to wash them.
  • Your drum(s) or percussion instrument(s)! (We’ll have screen tents to store them overnight)
  • We will have plenty of chairs, but if you have a stool or prefer your own, please bring.
  • recording device with extra batteries, a notebook and pens
  • Still Camera (no videos of classes please!)
  • Tape or band aids for your fingers – plain white adhesive is good.
  • Sunscreen (#15 +), hat and, refillable spray bottle if you want to really stay cool
  • Clothing for hot days
  • Cash or checkbook for tee shirts and other vendors!
  • Women Drummers International assumes no responsibility for loss of or damage to personal property. Please do not bring unnecessary items of value. You may want to carry with you or lock in your car any valuables that you must bring.

Video recording of your classes is not allowed, so please don’t bring your video camera — and please resist using that great video recorder on your cell phone.

Born To Drum Camp Rules And Suggestioins

Camp rules are below. Failure to follow the rules could result in individuals or the group being asked to leave the Meadow and could jeopardize our future use of Bort Meadow.  Thank you for reading these carefully!
  1. Please bring your own bag lunches and snacks. We will have no kitchen in 2022
  2. The following are NOT allowed on the premises:
  • illegal substances
  • fireworks,
  • pets
  • weapons of any kind
  • alcohol
  • amplified sound audible over 25 feet away
  • generators.
  1. Smoking is only allowed near the bathrooms by the parking circle — deposit butts in appropriate containers, NOT in trash cans or the campfire.
  2. Parking is limited to 55 vehicles for camp attendees. PLEASE CARPOOL. If you arrive and parking is full you will have to find another location to park and make your way back to camp.
  3. Please do not leave unattended vehicles in Drop off Circle at center of Park except Camp Shuttle with Disabled Placard. (please drop off your drums by the loading zone and then park your car in the lot)
Thank you for your attention to these important details about camp.

Driving Directions

  1. U.S. 580 W to CA 13N, exit 26A towards Berkeley.
  2. Exit Carson Street toward Redwood Road.
  3. LEFT onto Mountain Blvd.
  4. RIGHT onto Redwood Road. Continue on Redwood Road and cross Skyline Blvd. Drive 4 more miles and Bort Meadow Staging Area is on the right. Look out for balloons and signs. It is approximately an 8 minute drive from the intersection of Redwood Rd and Skyline Blvd to Bort Meadow.
  1. U. S. 580E to 35th Avenue exit in Oakland.
  2. LEFT on 35th Avenue. 35th Avenue becomes Redwood Road. Continue on Redwood Road and cross Skyline Blvd. Drive 4 more miles and Bort Meadow Staging Area is on the right. Look out for balloons and signs. It is approximately an 8 minute drive from the intersection of Redwood Rd and Skyline Blvd to Bort Meadow.
  1. Highway 13S to Redwood Road exit in Oakland.
  2. LEFT on Redwood Road. Continue on Redwood Road and cross Skyline Blvd. Drive 4 more miles and Bort Meadow Staging Area is on the right. Look out for balloons and signs. It is approximately an 8 minute drive from the intersection of Redwood Rd and Skyline Blvd to Bort Meadow. Cross Skyline Blvd and drive 4 more miles. Bort Meadow Staging Area is on the right. Look out for balloons and signs. It is approximately an 8 minute drive from the intersection of Redwood Rd and Skyline Blvd to Bort Meadow.

    For directions from Google or other Maps you can enter Bort Meadow Staging Area.  You will lose cell reception at some point after you cross Skyline Blvd so: From Redwood Rd and Skyline Blvd, go 4 miles south on Redwood Road. Bort Meadow is on the right. Look for balloons and signs. It is approximately an 8 minute drive from that major intersection to Bort Meadow.